(Author’s Note: On this day two years ago, the Verizon IndyCar Series lost one of its most cheerful and talented competitors: Justin Wilson. Wilson, who was a three-time winner in IndyCar during his career, was making his sixth start of the 2015 season in the part-time #25 Honda for Andretti Autosport. The race was run at Pocono Raceway on Sunday, August 23rd and the British driver was poised to continue his momentum after he finished second at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in the previous IndyCar event. Wilson was running in thirteenth at Pocono on lap 180 when the leader of the race, Sage Karam, broke loose in turn 1. Karam shot up the race track and slammed into the outside wall hard, which littered debris all over the racing surface. Drivers made contact with pieces of the debris and one of the carbon fiber parts hit the top of a racecar. The piece of carbon fiber shot at high speed towards IndyCars that were arriving on the scene. Tragically, the debris slammed into Wilson’s unprotected helmet and he immediately shot towards the inside wall at high-speed after losing consciousness due to the vicious blow. He slammed into the inside SAFER barrier and came to a stop as safety crews began to arrive on the scene. Wilson was unconscious as the medical teams arrived and he was extricated from his Honda. After being properly secured, he was airlifted to the Lehigh Valley Health Network Cedar Crest Hospital in Allentown, Pennsylvania, and he was listed in critical condition with major head trauma. He fought through Sunday night into Monday afternoon, but Justin Wilson succumbed to his injuries on Monday, August 24th after his unfortunate accident on track. Following his death, Wilson was remembered by IndyCar drivers and fans through merchandise sales and stories from the career of the affable British driver. Less than a year after his death, Wilson’s brother, Stefan, ran the 2016 Indianapolis 500 with the same number #25 in memory of his brother. He ended up finishing 28th after an electrical issue dropped him out of the event. Tragically, in the two years since Wilson’s accident, IndyCar has yet to mandate a safety innovation to protect driver’s heads in the cockpit, but they have worked to improve the safety of the racecars with a new body style for 2018. To honor Wilson and his achievements behind the wheel, we will be analyzing his final win in IndyCar, which came in the 2012 Firestone 550k at Texas Motor Speedway. Wilson managed to take his first career win that night on an oval as he returned Dale Coyne Racing to victory lane after a three-year winless streak. Let’s remember Wilson’s triumph as if the checkered flag just waved and honor one of IndyCar’s most beloved drivers.)
After Graham Rahal slammed into the outside wall in turn 4 with three laps to go, Justin Wilson passed his fellow competitor and led the final two laps to win his first career IZOD IndyCar Series oval race at Texas Motor Speedway. Wilson started the race in 16th position and managed to find himself in the right position at the end of the night thanks to strategy calls and an excellent Dale Coyne Racing Honda. However, throughout the night, contenders dropped out of the race due to crashes, mechanical issues, and penalties, which allowed new contenders to grab the top spot in search of a victory in the Lone Star State. Alex Tagliani started the race on the pole. He led through the first 20 laps of the race before Scott Dixon powered into the lead on lap 21 with his fast Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. From there, Dixon dominated the race through two cautions and two sets of yellow flag pit stops. He surrendered the lead for the first time during the first round of green flag pit stops of the race around lap 112, but when the pit stops cycled through after Wilson pitted on lap 125, Dixon found himself back out front. However, a caution five laps later allowed strategy to mix up the running order at the front of the field. James Hinchcliffe, Ed Carpenter, and Wilson stayed on track to inherit the Top 3 positions while Dixon pitted for four tires and fuel, which allowed him to restart in fourth. As soon as the green flag waved, Dixon used to his fresh tires to maneuver back to the front and he grabbed the lead from Hinchcliffe in turn 2 on lap 142. Again, the two-time IndyCar champion drove away from the field as he looked to win his second consecutive race in 2012. However, after 25 laps out front during the run, Dixon’s Honda began to handle much different than it did during the first half of the 550-kilometer event. On lap 171, Will Power took the lead from his fellow championship contender and Dixon began to slow significantly. Finally, on lap 173, his dominating night out front ended as he crashed hard in turn 4. His crash caused the fourth and final caution to wave in the event. The final yellow flag of the event led to the last pit stops of the race as Power returned to the lead. Yet, his time out front would be cut short as well. On the final restart of the race, Power battled hard with his teammate, Ryan Briscoe, through turns 1 and 2. Tony Kanaan, who was running third, tried to make it a three-wide battle on the backstretch, but Power blocked and the two drivers made slight contact. Kanaan was forced to pit and repair his front nose while Power was given a pass-through penalty by IndyCar officials for the block. Again, two contenders in the race fell out of the battle for the win as Briscoe inherited the lead. However, the Team Penske driver couldn’t hold the lead long as Graham Rahal took the top spot on lap 200. Over the next few laps, Rahal drove away as he pursued an elusive second victory in the IZOD IndyCar Series. As the final laps clicked by, the Ohio driver looked to be in control of the race and on pace for the win. However, as he exited turn 4 with three laps to go, he slid out of the groove and slammed into the outside wall. The contact caused him to slow down significantly and Wilson passed him heading down the backstretch with only two laps remaining. The British driver cruised to the checkered flag as he grabbed his third career IndyCar win in thrilling fashion. Throughout tonight’s race, IndyCar’s finest drivers competed at over 200 mph with a lower downforce package that made cars much harder to handle and made the racing more competitive. Plus, strategy and attrition constantly shifted the line-up, which allowed the lead to swap throughout the race. As these five stages of analysis show, Justin Wilson grabbed an unexpected win as IndyCar put on a thrilling race in front of thousands of fans at Texas Motor Speedway.
Stage 1:
Clutch Closer: Wilson Uses a Late Mistake by Rahal to Grab His First Oval Win at Texas
Since his first season in the IZOD IndyCar Series in 2008 after the series merged with the Champ Car World Series, Justin Wilson has been a proven contender at the front despite running with underfunded equipment. He won a race at Belle Isle in 2008 and he won Dale Coyne Racing’s first race in 2009 at Watkins Glen. In the last two years, though, Wilson has struggled to win and stay healthy. In 2010, he was unable to win a race for Dreyer & Reinbold Racing. Last year, while qualifying for IndyCar’s annual trip to Mid-Ohio, Wilson crashed and a broken bone in his back ended his season early. However, he returned to the series this year with Dale Coyne Racing and the British driver came back stronger as he pursued great runs for his team. Through the first six races of the season coming into tonight’s event at Texas, Wilson had three Top 10’s and a masterful seventh place finish in the Indianapolis 500 to his credit. He was determined to run well at Texas and prove he could win on ovals despite his lack of success on those tracks. Wilson started tonight’s 550-kilometer event in 16th, but he began his charge to the front as soon as the green flag waved with his fast Honda. By lap 25, he was sitting in 12th position with a shot and moving in the Top 10. The first caution waved on lap 30 for Charlie Kimball’s crash and the pit stops restarted his race to the front. Simon Pagenaud, who was pitting in the box just behind Wilson, entered his pit box and bumped into his tires, which were already sitting on the pit lane in typical fashion for IndyCar pit stops. The tires rolled into Wilson’s box slightly and he was unable to enter his stall for service. After Pagenaud’s team moved the tires, Wilson’s team performed their routine service and he returned to the track. Unfortunately, he lost four positions on pit road and he would need to regain the positions he surrendered in the pit road incident. Again, just as the green flag waved, he advanced through the field as he looked to rebound from the pit road miscue. When the second caution waved on lap 64, Wilson found himself back in the 12th spot after a strong run. He came back down pit road for the second time in the event and he returned to the race inside the Top 10 after a fast pit stop from his DCR crew. The race restarted and in the few laps after the green flag waved, Wilson moved into sixth position. He remained in sixth and seventh through most of the run before he began to gain positions thanks to saving his tires. On lap 103, he found himself in third with a shot at the lead. He moved into second a few laps later and green flag pit stops finally began on lap 112. After Scott Dixon, who was leading, pitted on lap 117, Wilson inherited the lead for the first time as he stayed on track longer than drivers around him. He finally came to pit road on lap 125 and ended the cycle of pit stops for the entire field. Wilson found himself in fifth after the stops just as the third caution waved on lap 130. Since the yellow flag came close to the end of green flag stops, the caution led to interesting strategies for drivers on the lead lap. Wilson stayed on track along with James Hinchcliffe and Ed Carpenter to move into third place. However, since drivers behind him had fresh tires, Wilson dropped on the subsequent run and found himself in seventh with about 70 laps to go. When the fourth caution waved on lap 173 for Scott Dixon’s crash, Wilson found himself in fifth position with pit stops looming. His Dale Coyne Racing team worked to perfection as they returned their driver to the track in the same spot. The green flag waved for the final time and Wilson gained two positions thanks to damage to Tony Kanaan’s car and a penalty for Will Power. Throughout the final run, he continued to gain on Ryan Briscoe for second as Graham Rahal led the event. Finally, Wilson passed Briscoe in turn 3 on lap 216 and set his sights on the leader. As the final laps clicked by, the British driver was catching his fellow competitor, but it appeared he would run out of time with less than five laps to go. However, he would have a fortunate break go his way with three laps to go. As Rahal exited turn 4, he drove out of the groove and slammed the outside wall. He attempted to drive away and maintain the lead, but he slowed down due to the damage. Wilson grabbed the lead in turn 2 with two laps to go and he cruised to the checkered flag for his third IndyCar Series victory and his first since Watkins Glen in 2009. Justin Wilson and his team were clutch in the final run of Firestone 550k at TMS, which allowed them to close on Rahal after his miscue and take a much-needed victory for the underdog organization.
Stage 2:
Memorable Moment: IndyCar’s New Generation of Cars Compete for the First Time on a High Banked Oval
While IndyCar has been running its new generation of cars for the first six races of the season thus far, tonight’s race was the ultimate test for the chassis aimed at advancing safety in the series. Unfortunately, the car, known as the DW12, was introduced for this season by Dallara and IndyCar after a tragedy at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in the final race of the 2011 season on October 16th. Dan Wheldon, who had just won the Indianapolis 500 five months prior to the season finale, entered the Las Vegas race with the chance to win five million dollars if he could start last and finish first in the event. Wheldon began his charge to the front in the early run of the race, but a huge crash began in turn 1 on lap 11 just ahead of him. He made contact with a car, which sent his #77 airborne and into the catchfence. Just a couple of hours after the massive accident, IndyCar announced that Wheldon had succumbed to his massive head injuries and the series lost one of its most affable competitors. In the wake of Wheldon’s death, IndyCar officials announced that they would be running a new Dallara racecar with advanced safety features among other new specifications. The chassis was named for Wheldon not only because of the crash, but because he had been testing the car for Dallara as they hoped to improve for the future. Coming into tonight’s race, the DW12 had competed at six events including the Indianapolis 500, but the 550-kilometer showdown at Texas was the ultimate test for the car. Texas is a potentially dangerous 1.5-mile track just like Las Vegas and IndyCar officials were hoping the improved safety features would prevent violent accidents. In addition to that, drivers and IndyCar executives met in Detroit last weekend and added new rules for tonight’s race to take downforce off the cars, which limited typical pack racing at fast ovals limited and put car control in the hands of drivers. Throughout the night, the car was tested at high speeds and it proved to be very successful. On lap 30, Charlie Kimball broke loose in turn 4 as he rode behind E.J. Viso. His car immediately spun up the race track and he slammed into the outside wall hard with the left side of his Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. Kimball slid all the way down the frontstretch and he came to a stop in the infield grass with heavy damage. However, he climbed out of his racecar without injury and the new safety components held up as expected despite the hard contact. 24 laps later, Takuma Sato broke loose exiting turn 2 and he slid down the backstretch towards the inside wall. He backed into the inside barrier with his right rear and came to a stop on track. Again, Sato climbed out of his damaged car safely as the DW12 accomplished its designated task of keeping drivers safe. Just over 100 laps later, Scott Dixon unfortunately tested the design of the car a final time. Dixon, who had been leading most of the race and had just fallen into second, broke loose in turn 3. At a much higher rate of speed than Kimball, he piled into the outside wall with the left side of his racecar. All the pods surrounding the cockpit on the left side were heavily damaged, but when he came to a stop on track, he climbed out of his Honda safely after a violent impact. For a third and final time, the Dallara DW12 met the expectations of IndyCar officials and drivers. While a safer racecar and competitive racing at 1.5-mile tracks can never bring Dan Wheldon back, tonight’s race proved that IndyCar can improve the safety of open wheel vehicles and sanction memorable races with the Dallara DW12 for years to come.
Stage 3:
Controversial Call: Power’s Blocking Penalty After Contact with Kanaan Costs Him the Win
In only three years of full-time competition in the IZOD IndyCar Series, Will Power has proven to be a perennial championship contender. In those three seasons, he won 12 races driving for KV Racing Technology in 2008 and Roger Penske for the past two seasons. After filling in admirably for Helio Castroneves in the first race of the 2009 season, he was given a part-time opportunity driving for Penske’s team and he won a race in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Despite injuring his back late in 2009 at Sonoma, Power was given a full-time ride for 2010 and has finished second in the championship fight the past two years. However, 2012 has already appeared to be more promising for the blossoming star than his previous years in the series. He won three consecutive races after finishing seventh in the season opener and he had only finished outside the Top 10 once in six races heading into Texas. Thanks to his consistency and stretch of victories, he came into tonight’s Texas shootout with the points lead. Plus, he won one of the Duel events in Texas last season and his team looked to add another victory at the 1.5-mile track in tonight’s event. Yet, his chances to win would be hampered by a controversial penalty late in the race. Power started the race in fifth and he gained a couple of positions through the first run. When the first caution waved on lap 30, he came down pit road and his team performed a quick stop as he returned to the track in third position for the restart. However, his tire changer didn’t tighten the lugnut on his right rear wheel, which meant Power would have a loose wheel when the race restarted. Rather than risk a crash when the green flag waved, Power’s team brought him back down pit road to tighten his right rear tire. The move was a safe call for the points leader, but it dropped him all the way to 19th for the subsequent restart. After dropping a spot when the green flag waved, the Australian moved back to the front and 100 laps after having a pit road mistake, Power found himself in fifth position for the restart after the third caution on lap 130. Plus, he was the second highest driver with fresh tires as the race dominator, Scott Dixon, rode in front of him. When the race restarted, Dixon quickly moved into the lead on lap 142 with Power passing drivers to move into second. The two competitors ran in the top two spots for many laps with Dixon maintaining the lead. However, the New Zealand driver’s car began to handle poorly after it performed strongly all race. Dixon’s problems allowed Power to take the lead on lap 171 after a thrilling comeback. Dixon ending up crashing two laps later to bring out the fourth and final caution as pit stops loomed for the leaders. Power maintained the lead during the pit stops and it appeared the Australian driver would be in position to take his second consecutive checkered flag at Texas. Unfortunately for Power, a controversial decision on track unraveled his race. When the green flag waved for the final time, Power battled hard into turn 1 with his Penske teammate, Ryan Briscoe, to his outside. The two drivers remained side by side through turn 2 with a hungry field of drivers behind them. Tony Kanaan, who had overcome his own problems after breaking a front wing during the first caution, was running in third and attempted to make a three-wide move for the lead heading down the backstretch. He shot to Power’s inside, but Power made a slight block and the two drivers made contact. The contact broke another front wing on Kanaan’s car and he came to pit road a couple of laps after the restart for repairs. Power, on the other hand, received no damage after the block and he managed to hold onto the lead with his teammate behind him. For Beaux Barfield, who is the race director for the IZOD IndyCar Series, it needed to be determined if the move from Power deserved a pass-through penalty or not. After a couple of laps, Barfield determined that the move was aggressive and Power was given a pass-through penalty on pit road as he led the event. Much to the chagrin of the entire team, Power brought his #12 down pit road on lap 195 and he returned to the race a lap down in eighth spot. Throughout the remainder of the event, he remained a lap down and the Australian driver brought his Chevrolet home in eighth position after a potential victory was snatched away by a penalty from the race director. While the slight block was obvious, Will Power and his team were left questioning the penalty and as the season progresses towards a championship decision in September, the loss of points could prevent the Australian driver from winning his first IndyCar title.
Stage 4:
Driver of the Night: Dixon’s Huge Crash Ends His Dominating Performance at Texas
Scott Dixon is a two-time champion in the IZOD IndyCar Series, but he proved last Sunday afternoon at Belle Isle that 2012 will be an excellent year for him and his Chip Ganassi Racing team. After starting on the pole at the street course near Detroit, Michigan, he led all 65 laps and grabbed the checkered flag after a dominating performance. The win vaulted him from fourth in the points to second with momentum early in the season. Tonight, Dixon continued his domination from Belle Isle in the first part of the event at Texas, but his chance for the win ended thanks to an ill-handling racecar and a massive crash. The New Zealand driver started the race in fourth position, but he didn’t remain there long. After overtaking second and third-place in the early laps of the event, Dixon passed polesitter, Alex Tagliani, for the lead on lap 21 in turn 1. From there, Dixon managed his absolute dominance of the event. He was leading when the first caution of the race waved on lap 30 and he returned to the track in the top spot after a spectacular stop from his Chip Ganassi Racing team. On the next run, he drove away from his fellow competitors as he set a torrid pace around TMS. When the second caution waved on lap 64, Dixon remained the leader and his pit stop was again flawless as he maintained the lead. The green flag waved after the caution and he continued to not only power away from the drivers in the positions around him, but he also lapped cars throughout the long run. When green flag pit stops arrived around lap 112, Dixon was one of the first drivers to come down pit road as he looked to maintain his advantage in the race. After 13 laps, the pit stops cycled through after Justin Wilson’s stop and Dixon returned to the lead with a blazing fast Honda. However, five laps after he returned to the lead, the third caution of the race waved for E.J. Viso’s stalled Chevrolet on the frontstretch. Since the caution came near the green flag stops, several teams utilized strategy calls to gain an advantage on Dixon and his team. James Hinchcliffe, Ed Carpenter, and Wilson stayed on track while Dixon and the rest of the lead lap drivers pitted for fresh Firestone rubber and Sunoco fuel. While he was in fourth for the subsequent restart, Dixon had fresh tires and he immediately began to use them. After overtaking Wilson and Carpenter in the first laps after the restart, he powered past Hinchcliffe on lap 142 in turn 2 to take the lead. Again, it looked like the New Zealand would drive away and continue his dominance from last weekend at Belle Isle. Yet, problems began to strike the driver and his CGR Honda. After leading for 25 laps during the run, his car began to handle poorly after performing to perfection throughout the first three quarters of the race. Dixon’s handling issues allowed Will Power to take the lead on lap 171 with ease. After losing the lead, Dixon’s speed per lap began to drop significantly as he tried to control his racecar. Finally, his handling problems brought his race to an end on lap 173. As he drove through turn 3 behind James Jakes, Dixon’s car broke loose and spun up the race track. He piled hard into the outside wall with the left-side of his Honda, which caused massive damage to the dominating racecar. His car came to a stop on track and he climbed out unhurt thanks to the safety advancements of the Dallara DW12, but his night was done early. After leading 133 of the first 173 laps, Dixon finished in a disappointing 18th place after a powerful run at Texas. Despite a dismal finish and a wrecked racecar, Scott Dixon proved tonight that with a good handling racecar and a chance to lead the race, he can win anywhere, which makes him a formidable threat for his third IndyCar title.
Stage 5:
Comeback of the Race: Pagenaud Overcomes Pass Through Penalty to Finish Sixth
In just six starts into his rookie season in the IZOD IndyCar Series, Simon Pagenaud has been impressive behind the wheel of his #77 for Schmidt-Hamilton Motorsports. He has already finished on the podium two times with a second-place finish on the streets of Long Beach, California, and a third-place finish last Sunday at Belle Isle. However, the Frenchman’s worst finish came in the Indianapolis 500 and Pagenaud had yet to compete on a 1.5-mile track before tonight’s event. Thanks to a comeback from a pit road miscue, the blooming star proved he could perform on another challenging race track. He started the race in ninth position and he maintained his spot in the Top 10 through the first run of the event. When the first caution of the race waved on lap 30, the rookie driver made his way down pit road with the rest of the field. His inexperience on pit road, though, cost him during the first pit stops of the race. In IndyCar, just before drivers come down pit road, each team sets all four tires where the driver will pull into the box. This move minimizes time and allows the driver to know exactly where to come to a stop within the stall. As Pagenaud entered his box just past lap 30, he didn’t drive between the tires like he was supposed to and he bumped into his right-side tires. Both tires rolled to the front of the team’s box and slowed Justin Wilson from being able to enter his box. Pagenaud’s team quickly gabbed the two tires and they performed routine service before sending their driver back to the track without any damage. Still, they lost a couple of positions and the miscue resulted in a penalty for hitting the equipment and preventing Wilson from entering his stall. When the race restarted, Pagenaud made a pass-through penalty on pit road and he lost a lap to the leaders, which relegated him to 19th position with a large deficit to overcome. Fortunately for Pagenaud and his team, the second caution waved on lap 64 and they stayed on track during the round of pit stops, which allowed them to return to the lead lap. The next run of the race turned out to be the longest of the 550-kilometer event and Scott Dixon’s blistering pace and green flag pit stops on lap 112 put Pagenaud back a lap down. However, thanks to attrition and mechanical failures, he continued to gain positions and he was sitting just outside the Top 10 despite being off the lead lap. The third caution waved on lap 130 to end the long run just as green flag pit stops had cycled through. Pagenaud was sitting around 11th position as the lead lap drivers came down pit road. Unfortunately for him, a few drivers remained on track and he was stuck the first car a lap down as the race entered the final 100 laps. In the next run of the event, Pagenaud maintained pace with the lead lap drivers, but he remained a lap down. As the run progressed, though, drivers that stayed out during the third caution came down pit road and Pagenaud gained positions since he was staying on the track. Finally, the fourth and final caution waved on lap 173 for Dixon’s crash with Pagenaud sitting in ninth position. During the caution, all the lead lap drivers came down pit road and Pagenaud’s team kept him on track. Because of that, he found his way back on the lead lap for the final run of the race. The green flag waved and Pagenaud began his charge from the eighth position on older tires. Fortunately for him, Power and Kanaan’s problems on the restart allowed him to move into sixth position. Since his tires were worn, Pagenaud remained in that position, but he gained valuable experience in a Top 10 spot. When the checkered flag waved after 228 laps, he brought his #77 Honda home in sixth position after a brilliant run in his first 1.5-mile race. Thanks to staying on track late and managing his fast Schmidt-Hamilton Motorsports Honda, Simon Pagenaud overcame a rookie miscue on pit road to earn his fifth Top 10 of 2012 in his first Texas race.
After 550 kilometers of action-packed and high-speed racing in Texas, the IZOD IndyCar Series heads to Wisconsin for 225 laps around the flat 1-mile oval known as the Milwaukee Mile. The track has been sanctioning auto racing events since 1903 and the likes of A.J. Foyt, Mario Andretti, Parnelli Jones, and Al Unser have competed around its tricky configuration. Next Saturday, though, the battle will be between the current stars of the IZOD IndyCar Series as they look to add a victory at the historic track. However, taking the checkered flag and going to victory lane will not be an easy task for the stacked field of drivers. The Milwaukee Mile features a single racing groove where drivers will need momentum to pass and sheer courage to advance positions. Plus, with the wide variety of racing backgrounds in the field, some drivers will be more adept at competing around the four-turn oval while others will struggle with mastering the one-mile track. Finally, as the season nears the halfway point for the entire IndyCar field, points will begin to become a factor as championship contenders will look to have an excellent points day as they battle around the historic track. In addition to the track storylines and the points picture heading into Wisconsin, several drivers are surrounded by stories heading into the 225-lap race. Justin Wilson may have just won his first oval race tonight, but the British driver will head to Milwaukee with confidence and a capable team to grab another victory on the season. Dario Franchitti struggled with the handling of his Chip Ganassi Racing Honda throughout tonight’s race at Texas, but the four-time and reigning IZOD IndyCar Series champion won last year at the Milwaukee Mile and he will be a threat on the one-mile track again this year. Scott Dixon’s dominating night ended in a crash tonight after he led 133 of 173 laps, but the New Zealand driver heads to Wisconsin where he previously grabbed the victory in 2009. Finally, Tony Kanaan’s comeback at Texas was cut short by contact with Will Power, but the two-time winner at the Milwaukee Mile will be poised to compete for a win next weekend in his KV Racing Technology Chevrolet. Tonight’s race at Texas featured an unexpected win from a fan favorite in Justin Wilson, heartbreak for Graham Rahal in the late laps, a controversial restart incident between Will Power and Tony Kanaan, several tests of the new Dallara DW12 racecar, and intense racing throughout the field under the lights in the Lone Star State.
(More Stats Down Below!)
Cautions:
1st Caution: Lap 30- Charlie Kimball broke loose riding behind E.J. Viso in turn 4. He spun up the track and slammed into the outside wall with the left side of his racecar, which ended his night.
2nd Caution: Lap 64- Takuma Sato broke loose exiting turn 2 and made slight contact with the outside wall, which caused him to spin down the backstretch. He backed into the inside wall with his right rear and his race ended after he was running in sixth.
3rd Caution: Lap 130- E.J. Viso had an engine problem on track and he came to a stop on the frontstretch near the exit of pit road.
4th Caution: Lap 173- Scott Dixon broke loose in turn 3 riding behind James Jakes. He spun up the race track and slammed into the outside wall hard with his left side. He came to a stop on track with heavy damage and his race was over after dominating the event.
Top 5 Finishers:
1st: Justin Wilson
2nd: Graham Rahal
3rd: Ryan Briscoe
4th: James Hinchcliffe
5th: J.R. Hildebrand
Notables Not in Top 5:
6th: Simon Pagenaud
7th: Helio Castroneves
8th: Will Power
11th: Tony Kanaan
13th: Josef Newgarden
14th: Dario Franchitti
17th: Marco Andretti
18th: Scott Dixon
21st: Ryan Hunter-Reay
22nd: Takuma Sato
23rd: Charlie Kimball
Credits:
-My Own Notes
-Statistics:
http://www.teampenske.com/drivers/index.cfm/3193/Will_Power
http://www.savethemile.org/history-of-the-mile.html
http://racing-reference.info/race/2012_Firestone_550/O
-Image:
http://jefflphoto.com/tag/fort-worth/
-Full Race:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGNzyNwojY4
